


Story Within a Story

by SavvyHon



Series: Heroic Tales [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft: Story Mode - Fandom
Genre: Axel's height will be used to determine height, Because he's a giant, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Child Abandonment, Depression, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Roller Coaster, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Explicit Language, Flashbacks, Flirting, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Milk Helps Everything, Other, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Puns & Word Play, Recovered Memories, Size Difference, Underage Drinking, Wither Sickness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:22:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavvyHon/pseuds/SavvyHon
Summary: Memories can be a mourning ring, the past can be a tyranny king, broken hearts can be a cruel sting, lonely lives can be a fickle thing, but you mustn't back down and give yourself up.You must stay strong and fight on.You must stand tall and true.You must do what many others wouldn't.You must PRESERVE.>> NOTICE! MOMENTARILY DISCONTINUED! <<





	1. A Punny Beginning

There was a sizable forest that surrounded the bustling town named Minerstown. Most people were reluctant to wander into the forest for fears of wandering too far and getting lost. There were also the mobs to look out for, as they prospered under the shade the trees gave them. Some mobs, though, such as sheep, cows, and bunnies, were friendly. Wolves were mostly friendly as well, but if you dare provoke them...

 

Well, you'd better hope you can climb-- and fast.

 

Back to the point!

 

Most people were afraid to go into the forest for these exact reasons, but somewhere near the middle of the woods, there was a tree that stood proudly among it's brothers and sisters and cousins, and sitting in this tall oak tree was a moderately-sized tree house, cozy and thoughtfully built.

 

And it seemed to be inhabited, if the huffing and puffing that came from the inside was any indication.

 

Inside the tree house were two people. The one making all of the noise was a young-looking man with shining indigo eyes narrowed in concentration. He had a short and worryingly small frame, but he looked healthy enough, given the sheen to his pale skin and wavy honey-brown hair. 

 

This peculiar man wears a white shirt with a pair of patchy jeans, some scuffed up old sneakers, and red suspenders to hold the baggy jeans up like a belt. Oddly enough, there was something shiny on one of the straps. It looked to be made of pure gold. How intriguing...

 

But anyway, that's enough said about him. His other companion was a lanky, dark-skinned female, who was watching him practice his fighting skills on the poor armor stand from a careful distance away. She had learned her lesson from the last time she stood too close to him while he practiced.

 

"Would you rather fight a hundred chicken sized zombies or," She paused, and the man turned about half of his attention to her. "ten zombie sized chickens? Just to be clear, you wouldn't have any weapons or armor, so you'd have to fight them with your bare hands."

 

The woman is taller than him by about half a foot, and she was more on the thin side, her dark onyx eyes that soaked up light like water to a sponge holding a thoughtful glint. She's wearing a tight-fitting white shirt with a button-up red vest, comfy black tights, grayish-brown boots, and a pair of a green goggles that sit comfortably atop her head of pig-tailed black hair.

 

He paused to think about the interesting question, his assault on the wooden armor stand ceasing momentarily. "Ooh, that's a good question... I'm going to go with the giant chickens, because for one, they wouldn't be as violent as zombies, and two, they would be one heck of an abomination!"

 

"But think about their giant feet--"

 

"Olivia, no!"

 

Olivia laughed and let the subject go. "Okay, okay, calm down! Now, I've got a daylight sensor on the roof..." She took some redstone from her inventory and placed it on the counter beside her, smoothing it out.

 

"Uh-huh?"

 

If she noticed his lackadaisical response, she didn't say so. "And if I'm correct, the lights should turn on when it gets dark."

 

"Mm-hmm." he hummed in mindless agreement, and she had to wonder if he was even listening to her anymore. 

 

 _Probably not._  Olivia reasoned to herself with an amused eye-roll. "I didn't want to leave Reuben with nothing while we're at the Building Competition." She says, testing to see how much he was really listening.

 

Immediately, her smaller companion stopped what he was doing and gave her a wide-eyed stare. "What? He's coming with us!"

 

"Really?" She asked in disbelief and surprise, crossing her arms over her chest. She though they had already gone over this several days ago! Maybe he hadn't been listening and had been mindlessly agreeing to everything she said. Again. He does that a lot, doesn't he?

 

The brunette sheathed his wooden sword while he walked towards her. "You gotta be kidding, Liv! Reuben _always_ comes with us!"

 

A small pig with big brown eyes and a dark spot on his back waddled away from the wooden armor stand, looking over at the two humans with a disgruntled look. 

 

Olivia shook her head at his persistence, and threw her arms out in mild frustration. "Okay! I'm not saying he shouldn't come. I'm not!"

 

Reuben simply shot her a disbelieving stare and climbed up onto the window sill. 

 

The lanky woman continued to voice her frustrations. "But Jesse, isn't it a little weird you take him _everywhere_ you go?"

 

Jesse motioned towards Reuben with a determined stare directed at Olivia. "He's my wing-man; People always want to talk to the guy with the pig!" he declares enthusiastically.

 

Unfortunately, Olivia was quick to throw water on the leaping flames. "You mean talk _about_ the guy with the pig," she responded bitterly. "Like, 'look at the weird guy with the weird pig. How weird.'"

 

Jesse's face fell, and his big smile was replaced with kicked-puppy expression that melted her anger right out. She hated it when he looked at her like that, because she could never stay mad at him. She turned away from the boy and his "wing-man" guiltily.

 

"I'm sorry, I just-- Dang it, I'm so sick of being a loser! A _laughing stock_!" her expression contorted into fury by the end of her sentence, and Olivia spoke through clenched teeth. "It just..."

 

Her eyes lost that angry fire as she recalled the times they were all pushed around and made fun of, especially Jesse because of his childish nature. "It wears you down..." she mutters, hating herself for letting any of that occur. She was supposed to protect, for notch's sake! She had  _promised_ to protect him!

 

"We are not losers, Olivia." Jesse fires back stubbornly.

 

Olivia averted her eyes, scowling. "Oh yeah, of course! And we _totally_ don't lose at everything!" she should probably let it go, but... "In fact, I can't remember the last time we won at anything!"

 

"But if that's the case, it means we _win_ at being _losers._ " 

 

She finally cracked a smile. She would let him have this one. "Alright, fine." Olivia gave in bemusedly, shaking her head when he pumped his fist with a victorious grin. 

 

"Ssss..."

 

"Do-do you hear that?" the brunette asked in bewilderment, curiosity and nervousness making a combo display on his face. Reuben, still sitting on the window sill, watched on in open concern.

 

"Ssss..." came a second hiss as Jesse crouched near the trapdoor, much to everyone's displeasure.

 

"Oh no!" Olivia gasped, staring at their only exit with wide eyes. She really shouldn't be letting Jesse just walk into danger like this, but he was stubborn as a mule, as already proven above.

 

She moved forward to pull him away from the danger, but **\--**

 

"BOO!"

 

A creeper's face popped in through the trapdoor.

 

Olivia screamed and stumbled back into the bookshelf, Jesse yowled and fell on his back in an attempt to scramble back, and Reuben squeals and tumbles off the window sill, all actions happening at once.

 

The creeper then pulled... its... head off? What?! Oh. Oh, okay. It was just their friend.

 

Their friend was a big guy, although most of that bulk rested in his shoulders. He had laughing hazel eyes and a mop of dark hair that was chaotic like it's owner. He dons a worn green jacket, some dark fingerless gloves, tan pants, and a pair of tan sandals. It looked... oddly fitting.

 

Oh yeah, and he was also wearing the smuggest-looking grin ever. "Aw man," he chuckled heartily still holding the creeper mask in his hands. "You guys screamed so loud! That was awes—"

 

Reuben had just about enough, so he ran over and rammed his little head into the big guy's stomach with an angry squeal. He grunted and doubled over, mostly out of surprise, if he were being honest. "Now I'm going to smell like pig at Endercon..." he grumbled to himself.

 

Olivia recovered quickly and stormed over, slapping his chest halfheartedly. "AXEL! What the heck?!" she shouted, just as angry as Reuben, if not angrier.

 

Axel nervously crossed his arms over his big chest, averting his eyes so he wouldn't have to stare into her angry onyx orbs. "It was funny, though!"

 

Jesse, however, didn't join the discussion, as he was still sitting on the ground where he fell in wide-eyed and open-mouthed shock.

 

Axel looked down and he grew concerned. "Jesse, dude?" he crouched down and waved a hand in front of the brunette's face. "Dude? Are you okay?"

 

Jesse decided right then and there he would definitely punch Axel if he pulled that creeper stunt ever again. "You're the worst." he whined as he finally came out of his stupor.

 

Axel chuckled, relieved that his friend was okay and amused by his annoyance. He hefted his shorter companion to his feet with an unsurprising amount of ease.

 

Ah, nothing like being jump-scared by your buddies, amiright? Yep...

 

 

He was still getting his sweet revenge on Axel.

 

Their pig-tailed friend sighed and dragged a hand down her face in exasperation. "Okay, whatever. Axel, do you have the fireworks?" she asks through her fingers.

 

The prankster looked offended by the very question. "Yes, of course I do! I also got something for the little guy." he pulled a pair of black wings and a mask from his inventory.

 

Reuben curiously trotted over to him, and oinked happily as the little costume was strapped on. He felt so tough now! Rawr! He squealed and ran around the room when the big hands let him go.

 

"You're off the hit list for now, Axel!" Jesse declares as he bounced on his toes happily, and you could practically see the stars in his shining indigo eyes.

 

Olivia smirked when she noticed Axel slump in relief at this news, and she piped up. "Well, now you can really call him your WING-man."

 

Axel snickered a little, but Jesse's expression fell, and he gave the goggled girl the most deadpan look he could manage. "Get out before I conk you over the head."

 

The young man's companions burst out into laughter and obeyed him without a single protest, exiting their tree-house through the hatch and down a ladder.

 

He waited a few moments to make sure they were far enough away before he groaned loudly and smacked his forehead on the wall. Reuben squealed in concern, but quieted when he heard what his human buddy was muttering to himself.

 

"Notch." slam! 

 

"Save." slam!

 

"Me." slam!

 

"Please." slam!


	2. Flirting overload! FLIRTING OVERLOAD!

Olivia looked up at the trapdoor with an annoyed expression. "He's been up there for a while now! How much longer is he going to take?" she complained to the broad-shouldered man standing idly beside her.

 

He chuckled at her sheer impatience. Ever since they were kids, she's always been one who absolutely hated waiting. "Who knows? It's Jesse, for crying out loud; he takes hour long showers." he jokes.

 

A pair of dark eyes averted to him and crinkled in delight. "True." she snickered. "Say, would you rather have a chest full of enderpearls or a chest full of food?" she asked.

 

He pretend to think for a moment, although he already knew what he was going to say. "Gotta go with a chest full of food." Axel answered, grinning when she made a face at him.

 

"Enderpearls would be nice," a voice above them spoke, interrupting whatever the pig-tailed girl might have said. "it would save me a lot of time getting around."

 

Okay, did they really even have to look up to know who was talking to them? It was everyone's (Well, maybe not everyone's) favorite bad-ass mercenary friend, Petra. Currently, the redhead was hanging upside down from a tree, with only her legs holding her on the branch.

 

Petra was a total tomboy, from her bandanna-covered-head to her booted feet. 

 

Olivia  was really jealous, because seriously; how athletic WAS this woman?! Hanging from a tree like a freaking _monkey_? With only her _legs_ supporting her? _Preposterous_! "Petra, why--"

 

"You don't wanna know." the mercenary's devilish smirk doesn't waver, even as she changes the subject smoothly. "Have I ever told how much of a dork Jesse is?" 

 

They stifled their giggles, because yes; she had, in fact, told them many, many, many times how dorky their short friend was. Whether Jesse freaked out over the smallest detail, fanboyed over his favorite hero, talked and/or argued with himself, tried to make himself seem taller, or came up with the most out-of-the-box ideas ever heard of, Petra would always dub him a dork and then maybe proceed to tease him about it if she stayed for long enough.

 

Those were the times that Jesse fumed for hours on end and mourned over his bruised pride. 

 

Petra grinned upon noticing their bemused expressions, thinking that meant they agreed with her. "Welp, I better be off. See ya on the flip side!" the mercenary winked a golden-brown eye and swung herself to another tree and so on.

 

There a few beats of bewildered silence between the two friends, before they burst out with a giggle fit. "She is thy mystery no one shall puzzle out!" Axel stated dramatically, to which Olivia just laughs even harder.

 

"What are you guys laughing at?"

 

They turned around and noticed that Jesse had come out while they were distracted. How did he get down the ladder so quickly, anyway? 

 

"Nothing." Axel waves the question off with a funny expression, and Olivia wasn't all that different.

 

Jesse squinted at them in suspicion, his nose scrunching up as if he could detect the lie he was being fed. He accepted it, though, and let it go. "Okie dokie lokie..."

 

*******

 

"NO MORE PUNS!" 

 

Petra's concentration snapped when she heard the voice shout from below, and she ended miscalculating her jump, just barely managing to catch the branch she was aiming for. A few leaves scattered as the branch wobbled dangerously with her weight.

 

She clung to the branch tightly once she was fully on it, and glared down past the leaves toward the source of the shout. Her glare softened, though, when she noticed just who it was she was looking down at; It was her friends, and they were probably heading to Endercon about this time. She automatically smiled when she realized this. 

 

 _So cute~!_ She sniggered as she watched the brunette stomp toward the tree she was in. The other two, three if you included the pig, were trailing after him, laughing. 

 

"Sorry dude!"

"Save it!"

 

The redhead decided that she could give some time to drop in and just say a quick hello to her favorite dork. Maybe annoy him and tease him a bit--

 

She got a devious idea.

 

Petra swung from the branch and dropped down on the ground in a crouch right in front of the boy whom she was currently targeting, and Jesse stumbled back at her sudden arrival, indigo eyes wide in shock. _Such pretty eyes..._ She mused to herself. _Maybe even prettier than the night sky._

 

"P-Petra?!" Jesse squawks once he gains his composure.

 

She startled from her daze and fixed him with a cheeky grin. "Hiya, Jesse!" she greeted him, and took a moment to appreciate the size difference between herself and Jesse. "You know, Jesse, you're always doing these goofy, adorable things, but this is just crazy!" 

 

Her victim's face was flushed pink. "Wh-what?!"

 

"Yeah." Petra chuckled, and (somehow) backed him up against a tree, placing her hands on either side of his head. "You really ought to stop being so damn cute- you might make me malfunction and do something naughty~"

 

Yes! Tomato-face! SCORE!

 

"HnnNNnNnNnnnNG!"

 

What an odd noise... She loved it!

 

She mimicked his voice near perfectly as she quoted him, deciding to hit the final nail in the coffin. "'Give me a dragon roar, Reuben!'"

 

Reuben, whom had been snuffling nearby, lifted his costumed head when he heard her. "ROOOOIIIIIINNNK!" the pig squeals out, enacting the same roar-oink she had heard while eavesdropping. Yes, she was eavesdropping. NOT STALKING. Don't get the wrong idea there. "'That'll do, Reuben, that'll do.'" 

 

"P-Petra!"

"J-Jesse!"

 

A fire entered those indigo eyes, and Jesse ducked under her arm. "Screw off, copperhead!" He was just so nice, wasn't he? He even gave her a little nickname! So cute~

 

She leaned against the tree she had trapped him against and winked back at the fuming boy. "No thanks, cottontail." she retorted. She knew calling him this would be the final straw for the boy, and she was right; Jesse's face flushed again, and he began to storm away with his clenched fists to his sides. 

 

Just like an angry little rabbit.

 

"I don't even have a freaking tail!"

"You did last year~"

"And I regret wearing that stupid costume!"

"But you were so cute with your wittle fuzzy tail and big floppy ears!"

"SCREW OFF!" 

 

Petra decided that now was a good time to stop and leave him be. He had a competition to go win, and she had a deal to go fulfill. She couldn't keep stalling like this, as much as she wanted to.

 

So the redhead barked out a laugh and said a brisk "see ya" to the group, climbed up the tree she was once in, and continued on her merry way.

 

She wasn't done teasing him forever, though. Just for now.

 

*******

 

Jesse could not believe that Petra actually brought up that horrifying memory. He had apparently decided that wearing a rabbit costume was the greatest idea ever.

 

Well, he regretted that decision, and he still does to this day.

 

Stupid ducking redhead... flirting like that... trying to fluster him...

 

...And succeeding every single time...

 

Oh, _wonderful_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehehehehehe... I forgot how much I loved this story! There's a reference to My Little Pony in there, see if you can catch it!


End file.
